Several permits related to the building are pending, said Joseph Zolna, president of the shelter’s board of directors. In addition to the anonymous donor who gifted the 8-acre site, the nonprofit, no-kill animal shelter has received a $700,000 Local Share Account grant and other donations totaling $1.5 million.

The cost of the project is estimated to be between $4.2 million and $6 million, Zolna said. Like any construction project, the build of the single-story building is weather dependent, but is expected to take 16 months.

The new facility will help the shelter care for three times the number of homeless animals, Zolna said, and will increase capacity for larger dogs. The existing facility is outdated, failing, with a site that has no room to grow. It has space for 24 large dogs, 20 small dogs and 60 cats. The new facility will have the capacity to care for 142 dogs and 100 cats.

ABD Construction Services of Johnstown is the architect and general contractor for the project and will advertise for bids. The existing shelter at 1837 E. Pleasant Valley Blvd. will be sold once the transition to the new building is completed, Zolna said.

A rendering shows two options for the new Central Pennsylvania Humane Society shelter. The nonprofit is kicking off a fundraising campaign on Thursday in the hopes of raising at least $2.7 million for the shelter’s construction. Courtesy photo

New outreach director

The shelter’s new outreach director, Molly Amigh, 29, of Roaring Spring, started June 16 and will oversee the fundraising effort, Zolna said.

“We’re finishing up the permits and are clearing excess brush from the land,” Amigh said Thursday.

She previously served as the program coordinator for victim services at Family Services Inc., where she also organized fundraising events such as the Purple Purse.

Amigh is a Johnstown native who graduated from Richland High School and Point Park University with a bachelor’s degree in Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management and is pursuing an online master’s degree in nonprofit management and leadership from Walden University. She also worked in the live music entertainment industry prior to the pandemic.

“I love fundraising and doing events. (The humane society) has a lot in place and as I get my feet wet, I’ll get more ideas.”

The upcoming capital campaign, Zolna said, will feature television and radio commercials, billboards and social media to solicit donations. The partial cost of some advertising expenses has been donated.

The new shelter has “long been talked about,” Zolna said. He became board president with the goal of making the new shelter happen. His second two-year term ends in December 2026.

“The old building has so many issues. It’s been tough and it’s been hard,” he said. “It’ll be amazing to see this finally come through.”

Longtime volunteer Charlotte Ames Eichelberger has served on the board of directors for four non-consecutive terms.

“I’m really excited and it is truly something that I never thought would happen because there have been so many times when we’ve struggled to just keep the doors open,” she said. “This is like a dream come true for us animal lovers and it’s obviously very good for the animals. We’ll be able to do better for the pets in the community.”

To better sustain operations at the new facility, Zolna said the veterinary medical clinic will be open to the public. There will also be a small thrift store and a retail area where the public can buy pet supplies.

On-site vet clinic to expand services

Veterinarian Kayla Whitfield said the current clinic operates out of a very small former house.

“We are very limited as to the amount of animals we can help due to space. I don’t have a waiting room. I don’t have a large operating room. So the new building is all about the space for us to have the capacity to care for more pets.”

The additional space in the new building will allow for more appointments for general care.

“This benefits the general community by giving them another option for veterinary care. Our goal is to keep costs as low as we can and to target people who couldn’t otherwise afford veterinary care for spay and neutering services, wellness care and even some medical care,” Whitfield said.

Whitfield and other shelter employees like Casey Brennan, director of operations, have had input into the building’s design to make it as efficient as possible.

For Whitfield, the inclusion of a “comfort room” affords pet owners a quiet, cozy and nonclinical space to say goodbye to pets that must be euthanized.

“People with older pets can’t afford a full-service veterinarian or they might not have a veterinarian and their animal is suffering,” Whitfield said. “We’re able to walk them through that experience and offer a special quiet place to say goodbye … it’s important to me to have a space for people to have those last moments with their pets.”

Brennan said it’s been “an exciting time” as employees have worked with the architect and project manager and “a lot of us who work and volunteer at the shelter are slightly nervous because of how large the project is. It will cost $250 per square foot so it’s a large undertaking and it’s kind of scary.”

The shelter plans to relocate much of the medical equipment in use at the vet clinic now, including X-ray and dental machines, The shelter will also offer crematory services to the public. The existing crematorium will be moved to the new location, as will the existing pet grooming station.

Another big gain will be in efficiency, Zolna said, as the upgraded design will reduce the time it takes for staff to clean kennels and manage the animals.

In warmer weather, each dog will be able to access an outside kennel when it wants, Brennan said.

Brennan said the indoor exercise area will feature a lot of natural lighting, a high-quality turf floor with a drainage system that makes cleaning very efficient.

Another highlight is the isolation/quarantine areas for dogs and cats. Each area will have a separate HVAC system to reduce the spread of airborne illnesses, such as kennel cough in canines and respiratory illness in felines. The isolation area has a capacity of about 20 dogs and 20 cats.

Brennan said the new site will allow for future expansion should the shelter need to grow to meet future pet population needs.

“We’re also really excited for our staff. This staff is so selfless and they are the best people I’ve ever met. To be able to give them something back is amazing.”

Mirror Staff Writer Patt Keith is at 814-949-7030.

Bigger and better

Features of the new 23,000-square foot, $4.2 million Central Pennsylvania Humane Society shelter include:

— Accommodations for 142 dogs and 100 cats, about a three-fold increase

— A 2,500 square-foot Indoor exercise area for dogs

— On-site veterinary clinic, which will be open to the public for reduced fees

— Larger reception area with a separate greeting area for cats

— A catio, a covered, protected outdoor space for cats

— A subfloor drainage system to make cleaning more efficient